Rowling’s latest read wins without wizards

Kobo Reads

The buzz among Readers is that John Galbraith, the “debut” author of a well-reviewed crime novel, is none other than JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series and the Casual Vacancy.

Two weeks ago, it was revealed via Twitter that the author of The Cuckoo’s Calling is Rowling, not a former plain-clothes Royal Military Police investigator with a flair for words.

Rowling released a scathing statement about the betrayal, stating that she used a pseudonym to ensure her latest work would be judged on its own merits and not as the author of the Harry Potter series. But, the revelation has been great for the title, catapulting sales of The Cuckoo’s Calling into an overnight international bestseller.

In fairness to Rowling’s original intent, we took Cuckoo out for a read and guess what? It’s really good. Whereas Harry Potter concerned himself with the big issues of good versus evil and the end of innocence, The Cuckoo’s Calling is a lighter read about protecting the innocence of a supermodel. It’s a page-turner featuring a hapless detective named Cormoran Strike who, contrary to his better judgment, takes on the case of the death of a troubled supermodel, which plunges him into a foreign world of glamour, glitz and wealthy social climbers.

Check out this indulgent summer read in the Kobo library. Read a preview and buy The Cuckoo's Calling here:

While Rowling may not have wanted the book to be judged on a “Harry Potter Scale”, had the tweet not revealed her name we might never have heard of this book - our summer would have been poorer for it.